As the traffic slowly merged into the main city road, Qin Huai could not shake the feeling that he was being followed. Alert, he lowered the car window and looked around calmly.
However, it was Shen Yuzhi’s car that eventually appeared. When he caught sight of Shen Yuzhi’s deeply penetrating eyes, Qin Huai felt his heart skip a beat. His lips trembled slightly, yet he still breathed out that name: “Hanzhou…”
But he saw that Shen Yuzhi was merely on a phone call. As those eyes swept toward him, Qin Huai was startled and ducked his head. So many years had passed, and yet, even now, Qin Huai could not bear to look back at the cold, heartless version of himself from that time. Every night, he wondered what would have happened if he had not left Shen Yuzhi back then.
Would they be married now?
This absurd thought made Qin Huai shake his head vigorously. When he lifted his head again, Shen Yuzhi’s car had already vanished.
After finally reaching the Song family villa, he was met with Song Zhe’s gloomy face as soon as the door opened.
“What is wrong, Xiao Zhe?” Qin Huai asked, tilting his head with a touch of curiosity, leaning against the doorframe as he playfully teased his good friend.
“Xiao Huai-huai! I was about to tell you good news! Why were you not listening? And why are you just now getting back? Did you go out to eat with someone? What if you run into Shen Yuzhi again? He really might lock you away again! Damn it, I really want to call the police on him!”
Seeing the ruffled, agitated look on the person in front of him, Qin Huai could not help but laugh out loud. He leaned against the door, laughing until he bent over, tears streaming down his face. Only then did he slowly straighten up, wiping his eyes while looking at Song Zhe’s surprised expression.
“You really called it; I actually did run into Shen Yuzhi. We went to the Cheng Group together.”
When Song Zhe heard Qin Huai speak so nonchalantly, he could not process the information for a long time, staring blankly at the person in front of him.
After a long while, he reacted as if waking from a dream. “What! You met Shen Yuzhi! You! You! Oh my…”
Song Zhe pulled Qin Huai to the sofa, staring at him intensely, looking him up and down before finally letting out a long sigh of relief.
“I am glad you are alright. Actually, it is fine, because what I wanted to tell you is that I have already arranged your entry into the Cheng Group. It is a good thing my family has some connections; otherwise, this would have been quite tricky.”
Seeing Song Zhe looking so lighthearted and waiting for praise, Qin Huai felt overjoyed. He reached out and pinched Song Zhe’s face repeatedly, thoroughly enjoying the moment.
“Thank you for your hard work, Xiao Zhe. When I am not as busy in a few days, let us have a proper get-together.”
Nowadays, relying on his status as the eldest son of the Cheng family, combined with the influence of Song Zhe’s family, entering the Cheng Group was easy for Qin Huai.
However, he was not sure how the people in the Cheng family would react to this.
Thinking of the Cheng family, Qin Huai could not help but smile. He curled the corner of his mouth, said goodbye to Song Zhe, and went upstairs to his bedroom.
Qin Huai searched through his phone, going through his entire contact list, but could not find Shen Yuzhi’s contact information. Deflated, he slumped back against the sofa and let out a long sigh.
Because of the way Shen Yuzhi currently treated him, Qin Huai did not dare to strike up a conversation casually.
Although they had exchanged a few words today, that did not mean Shen Yuzhi’s opinion of him had changed.
“What should I do…” Qin Huai rubbed his aching, throbbing temples. Staring at the ceiling, Shen Yuzhi’s image constantly flickered through his mind.
He was thinking about what kind of approach he could use to get closer to Shen Yuzhi. After all, if he could gain Shen Yuzhi’s support, it would certainly make his life easier in the future.
But after thinking it over, Qin Huai could not come up with a good plan. He leaned against the sofa and drifted into a drowsy sleep.
Meanwhile, Shen Yuzhi did not head back to his own villa but instead went to the Cheng family mansion.
Seeing such a rare guest, Cheng Shangjian’s face lit up with a smile, and he hurriedly invited Shen Yuzhi to sit in the living room.
Shen Yuzhi was naturally unfazed by the formality, stepping inside as he followed Cheng Shangjian and Lin Xingxue to the living room.
The decor here was completely different from what it had been a few years ago. By comparison, it looked even more elegant now.
Shen Yuzhi could not help but linger on the details, just in time to see Cheng An, who had long since married into the Ling family, gracefully coming down the stairs.
The look in Cheng An’s eyes as he watched Shen Yuzhi was filled with infinite admiration, as if he had not fully adjusted to his status as the wife of the Ling family.
It was not until Cheng Shangjian and Lin Xingxue coughed to remind him that Cheng An finally withdrew his gaze.
“The purpose of my visit is to continue discussing the matters that were not finished at the meeting today.”
As Shen Yuzhi said this, he tapped his fingers on the table. The crisp sound made Cheng Shangjian tremble violently.
The matter discussed at the meeting today was the formal acquisition of the entire Shen Corporation. After all, with Shen Yuzhi’s financial resources, the Cheng family held no weight in his eyes.
Watching the hesitation on Cheng Shangjian’s face, Shen Yuzhi could not help but hook his lips into a smile. This was exactly the result he wanted.
Moreover, Shen Yuzhi also understood what Qin Huai was calculating. Since he had not left the Cheng family yet, what he wanted was the entire Cheng family itself.
And for now, this was the only thing Shen Yuzhi could help him with. After all, there was still that thorn left from all those years ago buried deep in Shen Yuzhi’s heart, still stabbing him painfully, never having been removed.
“President Shen, please give us some more time to consider this matter…”
Cheng Shangjian wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, not daring to meet Shen Yuzhi’s eyes. Shen Yuzhi, however, was in no rush, leaning back on the sofa in a leisurely, composed manner, tapping the coffee table.
“Of course, I can give you time to consider it. However, this time will not be long. You should understand that.”
The words were spoken with such lightness that after hearing them, Cheng Shangjian did not even dare to breathe heavily. The entire living room was exceptionally silent.
After speaking, Shen Yuzhi stood up in a relaxed manner, looked around the room once more, and then left the Cheng residence.
For Shen Yuzhi, the one who could truly threaten Qin Huai right now was not the Cheng family, but rather Ling Feng, who had been working in the shadows all along.
After all, Shen Yuzhi had snatched someone else’s spouse on their wedding night. Anyone would be angry, let alone the vengeful Ling Feng.
Thinking back to that wedding night, Shen Yuzhi could not help but smooth out his brow. His expression became exceptionally relaxed and comfortable, even carrying a hint of pleasure.
He licked his lips, as if he were still savoring the taste of that night.
The rich scent of green tangerines still lingered at the tip of his nose, something Shen Yuzhi found himself deeply nostalgic for.
Yet, as soon as he thought about how Qin Huai had heartlessly left him years ago when he needed his help the most, Shen Yuzhi’s heart felt a series of stabbing pains.
After Qin Huai left him, the business they had built together began to falter.
The path of entrepreneurship became incredibly rough, to the point where Shen Yuzhi could barely hold on.
Not only that, but a major tragedy struck his family. Shen Yuzhi’s mother became ill and urgently needed a large sum of money.
This forced Shen Yuzhi to bury his head in grueling work once more. Because Qin Huai had left, the only person who had been his support was gone.
At that time, Shen Yuzhi was consumed by grief and misery, and he remembered Qin Huai forever.
He would never forget the cold, heartless look in Qin Huai’s eyes.
If only he could have kept Qin Huai by his side for one more year back then, perhaps Shen Yuzhi’s circumstances would have been better.
But thinking about it now, the past is the past; it is already missed, and there is no way to redo it.
Shen Yuzhi pinched the bridge of his nose, withdrawing that joyful expression, and returned to his usual cold, stern demeanor.
After all, he still had many things to do, such as guarding against his competitor, Ling Feng.
Judging by Ling Feng’s character, he would absolutely not let Qin Huai go easily, even though he was now married to Cheng An.
“Back to the villa first,” Shen Yuzhi commanded his driver coldly, though his thoughts remained firmly fixed on Qin Huai.
Even though Qin Huai now treated him with extreme caution and respect, he still longed for the kindness Qin Huai had shown him back in the day.
And as for Ling Feng, who had married Cheng An, he had been exceptionally quiet these days, surprisingly not pulling any tricks.
However, Cheng An had not been staying at the Ling family residence, which made Shen Yuzhi somewhat suspicious of the relationship between the two.
It was highly likely that Ling Feng did not care for Cheng An at all, merely treating him like a toy.
“Go check the transaction records of Cheng An’s accounts and see if he has been feeling depressed lately.”
Shen Yuzhi instructed his subordinate, leaning back in his office chair and eyeing the file discarded on his desk.
It was the job application Qin Huai had submitted a while ago.
Shen Yuzhi stared intensely at the headshot on the file. He reached out and stroked it gently, feeling his heart churn with a mix of emotions.
Just then, Shen Yuzhi suddenly received a phone call from the subordinate he had sent to investigate the Ling family.
“President Shen, Ling Feng has made a move. He is currently driving to the Cheng residence.”
Hearing this report, Shen Yuzhi pulled his gaze away, placed the file into his drawer, stood up, and walked out of the office.
Since Ling Feng and Cheng An were married, he had never visited the Cheng family once. It was unclear what he was planning this time.
But regardless of the reason, it provided infinite benefits to the Cheng family, as the Ling family was currently at the peak of their power with substantial influence.
Because of this, Shen Yuzhi wanted even more to know exactly what kind of interest-based communication was happening between Ling Feng and the Cheng family.
As Ling Feng’s car arrived at the Cheng residence, they followed closely behind.
Looking at the two vastly different cars parked in front of the gate, Cheng Shangjian furrowed his brows deeply. He, too, had never expected that two living demons would arrive at his house at the same time.